saundaryalaharI

[Guest guest]

[in the past few weeks, I undertook a major project in putting

together a commentary on shri shankara's saundaryalaharI. This

is being put every week on another list. Both Shri Ram Chandran

and I thought this material may be of interest to our List as

well and there may be some members who would like to follow

this series and suggest improvements to the contents or put

an alternate perspective to the interpretation. This is a

learning process in which all of us are involved. Hence, this

presentation will be appearing on this List also. I am posting

the three articles that had already appeared right away, and the

rest would follow approximately one posting weekly or fortnightly.]

 

 

 

sa kuMkuma vilepanAmaLika chumbi kastUrikAM

samanda-hasitekshaNAm sa-shara-chApa-pAshAnkushAM

asheshha-janamohinIM aruNamAlya-bhUshhAmbarAM

japAkusuma-bhAsurAM japavidhau smaredambikAM

 

shrutismr^tipurANAmAlayam karuNAlayaM

namAmi bhagavatpAdam shankaraM lokashankaraM

 

shankaraM shankarAchAryaM keshavam bAdarAyaNaM

sUtrabhAshhyakr^tau vande bhagavantau punah punaH

 

 

namaste.

 

I always consider all my actions to be at Shri LalitA's behest,

including taking up this project of writing on saundaryalaharI.

Am I eligible for writing on saundaryalaharI? Can a work like

saundaryalaharI be discussed in a medium like the internet?

It is true that I would certainly learn by taking up this

monumental task. I am sure it would help in the vanquishing

of the ego. May be, after I initiate the project, some learned

person from the group will emerge as a guru and teach us all

vidyopAsana. In any case, I take initiating this project here

is at Shri LalitA's command and I am simply following Her command.

There are many scholars here well-versed in saundaryalaharI and

I would request them to add additional points to the material

that I will be putting here.

 

SaundaryalaharI is the great masterpiece of Shri Shankara. It is

sometime expressed in two parts; AnandalaharI, comprising the

first 41 verses and saundaryalaharI, the second part, comprising

59, 60 or 62 verses depending on the edition we see. In north India,

the two parts are referred to separately. However, it is traditional

in south India to refer the total work as saundaryalaharI.

 

There are stories associated with the source of saundaryalaharI.

One story goes that Shankara bhagavatpAda - who is Ishwara-incarnate -

paid a visit to KailAsa, clad in the robes of a mendicant, and took the

mantra-shAstra placed by the DevI on the throne of Ishwara. While the

AcArya was about to leave KailAsa, Nandikeshwara, who is on duty,

snatched the book from his hands. After grappling with him for a while,

the AcArya succeeded in retaining a portion of the book, which contained

the first forty-one stanzas. The remaining stanzas (59, 60 or 62) were

added by him to complete the work. Another story attributes this stotra

to Lord Shiva Himself as praising the paradevatA - Shri Shankara

bhagavtpAdA brought it to the world for the good of the humanity.

Traditionally, the whole saundaryalaharI is attributed as composed

by Shri Shankara bhagavatpAda. In any case, certainly, there is divine

inspiration in the composition of this masterpiece. It is in exquisite

Sanskrit. All the 103 verses of this classic are set in the ShikhariNi

metre. This hymn is the expression of ShrIchakra rahasya. For

vidyopasakAs, this is a highly respected stotra.

 

There are about 36 commentaries in sanskrit on saundaryalaharI. All these

commentators (except one) consider this to be the work of Shri Shankara

bhagavtpAdA and all these commentators present it as proving advaita

philosophy. In the course of this presentation, the following four

commentaries will be closely followed:

 

1. SaundaryalaharI of ShrI Shankara bhagavatpAda: by Pandit S. Subrahmanya

Sastri and T.R. Srinivasa Ayyangar; Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar,

Madras, 1977

 

2. SaundaryalaharI of Shri Shankara bhagavatpAdAchArya: editor A. Kuppuswami;

Nag Publishers, Delhi, 1991

 

3. Shri Shankara bhagavatpAda viracita SaundaryalaharI (in Telugu); by

BrahmashrI Tummalapalli Ramalingeswararao Sarma; Balasaraswati Book Depo,

Kurnool, 1998

 

4. SaundaryalaharI (in Telugu); by Shri Bommakanti Venkata Subbrahmanya

Sastry; Shri Sitarama Book Depo, Rajahmundry, 1992.

 

Further, in the course of this presentation, it will be shown to be

consistent with the advaita philosophy.

 

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

-------

[Guest guest]

 

Gummuluru Murthy [gmurthy]

Thursday, October 28, 1999 10:29 PM

advaitin

saundaryalaharI

 

 

Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

 

 

[in the past few weeks, I undertook a major project in putting

together a commentary on shri shankara's saundaryalaharI. This

is being put every week on another list. Both Shri Ram Chandran

and I thought this material may be of interest to our List as

well and there may be some members who would like to follow

this series and suggest improvements to the contents or put

an alternate perspective to the interpretation. This is a

learning process in which all of us are involved. Hence, this

presentation will be appearing on this List also. I am posting

the three articles that had already appeared right away, and the

rest would follow approximately one posting weekly or fortnightly.]

 

 

Thank you Murthyji for your efforts. Saundaryalahari means the Wave of

Beauty and the title itself is inspiring and uplifting. We are fortunate to

have such knowledgeable people here who will share their spiritual wealth so

liberally and look forward to your commentaries on one of the great works of

Shri Shankracharya.

 

Namaste and love to all

Harsha